Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Fire Eternal
by chaz4eva
Summary: This is the tale of a man who has his Destiny intertwined with that of a young girl of a different world. (OC Self-Insert)
1. Prologue

_This is the tale of a man who has his Destiny intertwined with that of a young girl of another world. Saddened by her daily struggles, she finds solace in a place surreal to her own. She cherishes every moment in observing the man who searches for the Destiny that beckoned him from his daily routine. The never-ending battle to either defy or fulfil Destiny has allowed him to accomplish feats that would be considered impossible. All she wishes is her life to be like his, so she can continue the fight in her world for a better tomorrow and learn of her rightful place. Residing herself to the place of her isolation, she is unaware that Destiny will call upon her and intertwine her life with the man she so desires to become…_

Space. The ebony shroud that is infinite and consuming, unforgiving and silent in every single way within the bounds of possibility. Even where the faintest glimmer of starlight cannot reach, space thrums with abundant life. Amongst the thousands and thousands of planets that lay scattered across the stars, we are one of them. In the beginning, humanity believed our rocky world to be at the centre of the Universe and that all the planets revolved around us. But the people of ancient times were proven wrong with technology advancing far beyond what they could access in their era and man prospering the cosmos. What we've learned from exploring our cosmic surroundings as well as seeing some of the breathtaking and beautiful phenomena Earth has to offer has since not answered the lifelong question that has been pestering at the minds of humankind since time itself began: is there other life out there?

One thing seems certain though: the only place in this Solar System or the entire Universe harbouring life with the mind power and the capability to evolve and adapt complicated enough to build a civilisation is here on planet Earth.

But why?

What is it that makes our world so special? After all, everything in our Solar System shares the same origin.

Our little corner of the galaxy was created out of nothing more than a spinning cloud of gas and dust millions of years ago. Solid worlds condensed out of the swirling mists, but each world is radically different. Across the Solar System there are worlds that erupt with volcanoes of sulphur and others of geysers of ice; there are worlds with rich atmospheres and swirling storms, and there are moons with surfaces sculpted from ice that conceal bodies of liquid water. But amidst all the wonders that this vast system has, there is only one world where the laws of physics have conspired to combine all these characteristics in one place.

Only on Earth are the temperatures and atmospheric pressure just right to allow oceans of liquid water to exist on the surface of the planet. Earth is big enough to have retained its molten core that not only powers geysers and mountains of spewing lava, but also produces our magnetic field that fends off the deadly solar winds and protects our thick, nurturing atmosphere.

It is the combination of all these wonders of the Solar System and the Universe beyond in one place that allowed life to begin and to get a foothold here on Earth. Yet to allow that life to evolve into such complex creatures as ourselves requires one more essential ingredient and that is time, deep time - the vast and sweeping vistas of time over which mountains rise and fall, planets are formed and stars live and die. When all is said and done, it is perhaps this that makes the Earth so rare and so precious in the cosmos, because it has been stable enough for long enough for life to develop into such magnificent complexity.

Life on Earth today is the result of hundreds of millions of years of stability, and the most remarkable, complex and wonderful component in this priceless and possibly uniquely sophisticated and interconnected ecosystem is us, humanity, a species that has developed to the point where we can bend and shape and change the world around us. We have already begun to explore deeper into the outer cosmos that we had ever imagined. We are powerful, and with such great power comes great responsibility, for we are now the ultimate guardians of this world. Through our advanced intelligence, we possess the potential to protect, damage or destroy it as we chose, according to our desires and forever shifting dreams.

And it is a choice - a choice that is best informed by perspective.

We, steered by the passion discover whatever the outer cosmos conceals from humanity's eyes; continue our cosmic journey, regardless of the horrible things that happen across our planet. Civilisations crumble beneath their corrupted rulers, driven to the very brink of insanity. Those who rule over them are in complete control, ripping them of their free will and their power to act with purpose. They manipulate them like puppets, exploiting their mental and physical flaws and eventually, the people they rule over lose the will to continue and so the thought of them fighting a futile battle slowly solidifies in their minds, causing those people to unwillingly succumb to their rulers' twisted ways.

Poverty dominates many places across our planet. Humans, like you and me, are restricted to living in places where no one is safe. They have to dwell in these places as they have no choice. Confronted with many dangers, people of these places must tolerate these unforgiving conditions, and amongst it, find a way to stay alive. The battle for survival seems unlikely to present any victors soon, but the people of these places do all share one thing in common, the determination to push forward, no matter how challenging life may be. Their determination is one of the few things that allow them to see a tomorrow, but it is one that is no better than the last. Determination is the fire that lights their path, but it is also mine.

This is my Destiny, to ignite the heavens ablaze and combine all the fires of courage that reside within every single one of us and with it, forge a path towards tomorrow… A better tomorrow for all life and I _will _fulfil it, no matter if my life is overshadowed with disdain, no matter if the path ahead is paved with people that will try to prevent me from achieving my dream. I will continue to fight as long as the magma that resides in my soul continues to burn with a mighty flame!

I know that one day that Destiny will call upon me, and that day, I will not defy Destiny, I will fulfil it, along with my dream to create a better tomorrow. I will follow in the footsteps of an extraordinary man, who fought against Destiny for the majority of his life, before he decided to fulfil it instead of trying to defy such a thing. His actions lifted millions from their pools of terror, and instilled or restored an attitude within their hearts: the will to fight.

He, accompanied by his friends, went against an enemy most bizarre, but was at the same time just as terrifying.

They threatened to eradicate the human race in cold blood for they had awakened a power that was incredibly powerful, but incredibly deadly if it was overused. Their goal was to inflict absolute despair upon those who had awakened this power as they believed that despair at its deepest acted as the most powerful deterrent against the power's magnifying nature.

They annihilated all those who possessed this power and drove the few surviving life forms to the furthest corners of the Universe, where even the faintest of starlight cannot touch. But even with the fate of humanity hanging by a hair, the man confronted the enemy with great courage, an unbreakable fighting spirit and a burning heart that contained the fire of willpower.

Though I regard mine as insignificant compared to the man that achieved such feats that would be considered impossible, my burning heart and fighting spirit is what guides me on the two paths I embark on, the winding path of the Spiral and the burning path of eternal hellfire. With these two powers in my control, I will not abuse it to satisfy my own selfish desires. Instead, I will use them to incinerate through the despair enshrouds me and continue the fight for a better tomorrow for all life!

Just who the hell do you think I am?!

I AM ME, THE *ME* THAT I BELIEVE IN! I AM CHARLOTTE! CHARLOTTE THE DREAMER!

_Prologue_

"Shields are going down!" a technician called, tapping furiously at his terminal keyboard. "Mirror armour plating detaching!"

"We received severe hits in blocks 566 through 630," another one warned in a preoccupied tone. A blast illuminated the heavens overhead, betraying the presence a white flag billowing in the cosmic winds. It was decorated with a flaming red skull, wearing V-shaped sunglasses.

"Damage?" a feminine voice asked in a neutral tone. She calmly walked to the front of the bridge.

The woman had swirls of dark chocolate-brown garlanding her face and was wearing a bright magma-red top with a brilliant white star in the centre accompanied with a pair of black leggings. An obsidian-black belt, adorned with burnished silver studs and buckle, was strapped around her waist. A tall-necked, long, orange coat was draped over her shoulders with light silver studs adorning the sleeves and flames, coloured a molten yellow, decorating up the sleeves and up to her shoulders. On the back was emblazoned the same symbol that flew proudly on their fluttering pendant. Her eyes were concealed by a pair of bright magma-red, V-shaped sunglasses that shimmered in the light of explosions that raged on without cease around the starship. The sound of her heels clacking on the deck cut through the noise of chaotic bridge activity.

"Minimal, but our cloaking device is history!"

"Worry not," she replied, confidently striding forwards and standing next to her loyal commander, a man wearing a pale orange uniform who didn't look quite human, his eyes concealed by a pair of yellow glasses that were settled upon the bridge of his nose. "What are we exactly facing?"

"Enemy fleet size is off the charts!" a female technician responded, looking at the blinking radar.

"So, all the lights in the heavens are our enemies now, huh?" she smirked, toying with a small transparent, drill-shaped pendant. A miniature galaxy of glittering, orange stars swirled with aimless elegance at its heart, giving the impression of a flickering flame. "They allowed their foolish beliefs to draw themselves into picking a fight with us. Not that I can blame them. Even though they've proven to be worthy adversaries, they aren't aware of whom I am!" She enclosed her hand around the drill-shaped pendant, her smirk widening. "I'll use the eternal burning hellfire of oblivion to burn them to the very last scrap of DNA!"

She looked at her commander and ordered, "Give the order. We begin our attack _now_!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The commander lifted his arm and yelled out an order. "Prepare the Maelstrom Cannon! Target the Great Dimensional Waterfall!" Nobody questioned or challenged the order, even if some of the crew members had concerned looks on their faces.

One even dared to mutter, "I don't like where this is going…"

"Infernus! BLAZE ON!" she exclaimed, smugly crossing her arms. "Just who the hell do you think I am?!"

Winds lifted her cape and her hair billowed in the breeze as the giant vessel began to transform, panels retracting to reveal a colossal complex of mass destruction weapons. A strong humming filled the air as energy accumulated, manifesting as a deep crimson glow within the barrels. They finally unleashed the collected energy and a massive explosion engulfed everything in sight.

_The time has come for Destiny to call upon the girl of another world…_


	2. Chapter 1: A Rude Introduction

A brilliant light exploded in my face, piercing through the warm darkness that surrounded me. My eyes cracked open, squinting in slight pain at the harassing radiance. My mind, sluggish with sleep, struggled to focus. Feeling disgruntled with my slumber being rudely disturbed, I attempted to bury my face into my pillow, moaning in protest for more sleep, but the devilish light of the sun begged for justice to win over me. Knowing that the sun would conquer me without me putting up a decent fight, I reluctantly opened my eyes, slowly adjusting to the dim light of my bedroom. Despite how tired I still felt, a sigh of happiness escaped me, fragments of my amazing dream lingering in my mind.

I had been dreaming about Gurren Lagann… fighting against Beastmen with Simon and Kamina while using my own Gunmen, Infernus, to remind them who they were dealing with: Team Dai-Gurren.

Gurren Lagann is an awesome anime that had fascinated me since seeing videos of it on YouTube while browsing through my favourites. It takes place in a fictional future where Earth is ruled by the Spiral King, Lordgenome, who forces mankind to live in isolated subterranean villages. These villages have no contact with the surface world or other villages, and are under constant threat of earthquakes. Selected villagers called diggers are conscripted to expand their homes deeper underground. Simon, a meek young digger ostracised by his peers, finds solace in his best friend and older brother figure, an eccentric delinquent named Kamina. Kamina recruits Simon to his gang, Team Gurren, to help him achieve his dream of visiting the surface world. One day, Simon unearths a drill-shaped key called a Core Drill, followed by a small mecha resembling a face called a Gunmen. Shortly thereafter, a giant Gunmen crashes through the ceiling and begins attacking the village, followed by a girl named Yoko who attempts to repel the Gunmen. Simon uses his Core Drill to activate the smaller Gunmen, which receives the name Lagann from Kamina, and it is used to destroy the larger Gunmen and break through to the surface world.

Simon and Kamina learn from Yoko that humans on the surface are attacked each day by Gunmen piloted by Beastmen, humanoid creatures who serve as Lordgenome's army. Kamina hijacks a Gunmen and names it Gurren, combining it with Simon's Lagann to form the mecha Gurren Lagann. Their actions inspire other humans to steal their own Gunmen and join Team Gurren, which Kamina renames Team Dai-Gurren. Eventually Team Dai-Gurren captures an enemy Gunmen fortress to use as their base of operations, though Kamina is killed in the preceding battle. Simon sinks into depression following Kamina's death when he meets Nia, Lordgenome's daughter. Team Dai-Gurren is initially distrustful of her, but allows her to join when it becomes apparent that she was abandoned by her father. Nia helps Simon come to terms with Kamina's death, and he takes up the role as Team Dai-Gurren's leader, leading them to defeat Lordgenome and the Beastman army.

Seven years pass after Lordgenome's demise and the ending of the war and mankind prospers on the surface world with Simon and the members of Team Dai-Gurren serving as the world's government. As soon as the world's population reaches one million people, an alien race called the Anti-Spirals emerges and uses Nia to announce the moon's collision with Earth, which will wipe out all life on the planet and prevent them from evolving to such an extent that they will risk destroying the universe in a cataclysmic event called the Spiral Nemesis. With guidance from a resurrected Lordgenome, who had hidden mankind underground to protect them from the Anti-Spirals, Team Dai-Gurren prevents the moon's collision and heads off in pursuit of the Anti-Spirals' homeworld, with the assistance of achieving a coordinate lock originating from the only thing that remained of the Nia Simon knew and loved, her ring.

Whenever I think of Lagann or Simon, a little giggle manages to escape me, despite how hard I resist not just go into a fit of hysterical fangirling.

My phone, a snow-white Blackberry, suddenly went off, blaring out a clangourous morning call. I nearly fell out of the bed, letting out a shrill shriek of fright. My heart hammering, I looked over the edge of my crumpled duvets and glared irritably at the flashing screen of my pearl white phone, seeing the time was 9:00am. Breathing heavily and returning to my miserable mood, I reached down and unplugged the charger from it, pressing the back button to stop the ear-splitting wail. The alarm immediately ceased after I had returned to the home screen. A soft smile played on my face as I gazed at my background, the cast of Gurren Lagann, or rather that, the mechas of Gurren Lagann: Gurren Lagann, the main mecha, Gimmy's and Darry's Gulaparls, Jorgun's and Balinbow's Twinboekun and Kittan's King Kittan. As my eyes drifted over the faint figurine of Kamina, my smile faltered and a soft, sorrowful sigh escaped my lips.

Kamina… He was one of my favourite characters besides Simon and Lagann until he died in episode eight. Team Dai-Gurren was deeply scarred by their tragic loss. Without Kamina to make the occasional light-hearted joke or make a passionate speech about manliness or fighting spirit, I didn't know what to do anymore. I even decided to leave Gurren Lagann for a week to learn to accept that Kamina wouldn't be there anymore and probably to sulk in my disbelief and sorrow.

But thinking about that wasn't going to stop me from continuing my amazing journey with them. Despite having finished the anime in just a few days, I loved watching my favourite moments again and again, just to make me experience the feeling of true amazement and love I always feel for Gurren Lagann.

Turning my phone to sleep, I placed it in my top pocket and pulled back the duvet, shivering as the chilly air touched my exposed skin. I swung my legs the side of the bed and slowly rose to my feet. Wobbling slightly from still being tired, I yawned widely, raising my arms above my head and arching my back in a luxurious stretch. I held that position for a little longer, hearing the soft pops as my joints stretched out. I then slumped over and heaved out a long sigh.

_Hello reality… goodbye dream. _I thought glumly, staring at my crumpled duvet and pillows. It looked so tempting… to snuggle back up in my bed and have a long lie in, but I looked forward on watching more Gurren Lagann.

I wasn't expecting a hug or even a "good morning" from Mum as she never paid much attention me anymore. The only things she did now were torment me and call me names. She wasn't always like this… She used to be loving, kind and understanding. It was a few months after her and Dad separated after a massive row. I was looking for something in the cardboard under the stairs and suddenly heard the soft tinkling of glass coming from the back of the cardboard. I shoved and moved things out of the way and discovered a tattered box filled with glass bottles. That when I realised what she had been doing. She had been drinking. She _never _drank! When she returned home after work, I confronted her and told her about my discovery.

Her reaction shocked me.

She _slapped _me. She had _hit_ her own daughter around the face.

I felt tears of pain beginning to stream down my cheeks and tried to turn away, but Mum grabbed me by the scruff of my top and shrieked in my face, "I TOLD YOU NEVER TO SNOOP IN MY BELONGINGS!" She slapped me hard in the face again.

The tears began pouring faster down my face, the cheek that she had whacked beginning to redden. I writhed and struggled desperately in her grip, attempting to wrench myself free, but she refused to release me and merely tightened her grasp.

"M-Mum, please! I-I… I didn't mean to look! L-Let me go…!" I wailed in desperation.

"NO! YOU'RE EVEN THE SLIGHTEST BIT SORRY, YOU INSOLENT BRAT! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU TO SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!" she screamed in a high-pitched, infuriated voice.

She continued scream incoherently at me for the next few minutes before she carelessly dumped me on the ground in a crumpled, wailing heap. I couldn't believe what she had just done… she was my mum for god sake! As I scrambled shakily to my feet while softly whimpering, Mum told me to get out of her sight. She threatened to hit me again, and but, I quickly ran out the room before she could and slowly scaled the stairs, the sounds of my restrained sobs echoing faintly through the hallway.

And it's been like that since that night she hurt me.

Since then, I've grown more distant from the outside world, usually locking myself in my bedroom to hide myself from the horrors of my life. I would usually bury my agony and despair beneath heaps of drawings of Gurren Lagann and watching the anime for the majority of the day until it was time for bed, for that seemed to be the only escape from my horrible world.

Gurren Lagann was my last resort and did I think my life was empty? Yes, I did. I was forced to abandon my dream because the constant torment made me believe I didn't have the strength to do such a feat. I had barely any strength to reason with Mum and I have barely any to live my miserable life. My despair was a constant reminder how there would always be people to prevent me from achieving my dream and how I never could possess the strength to overcome them… My dream was to ignite the heavens ablaze and forge a path towards tomorrow that would not waver when exposed to despair. It seemed impossible to achieve in a world such as my own, but Gurren Lagann helped restore that belief… that small ember of hope inside me… that one day, my life would no longer be the way it was and I would truly discover my rightful place in this world. I would possess the strength to ignore those who would attempt to discourage me and my heart would drive me onwards. I always reminded myself of Kamina's words to brighten up my day:

"Never forget… Don't believe the you that I believe in. Don't believe in the me that you believe in. Have faith in the you that believes in yourself."

Smiling at the thought at I would feel that familiar comfort wherever I watched the anime, I walked over to my wardrobe and opened the doors, looking forwards for the long weekend ahead.

XXX

After I had gotten dressed in my normal attire and freshened up with a super speedy shower, I headed downstairs, not surprised by the lack of the presence of Mum. I stumbled across a note as I entered the kitchen, lying on the table, for me. Picking it up, I read what it said:

_Charlotte, _

_Me and a few of my girly friends have gone out for the weekend and I won't be back until midnight Monday, so be a good girl and don't be a annoying little brat and snoop through my belongings, okay? You can just go and crawl into that dark room of yours and spend hours on end without even seeing the light of day watching that silly cartoon you so love. _

_See you soon,_

_Mum_

My heart uplifted a little moment there. I wouldn't need to see her face for a three whole days!

Screwing up the piece of paper and throwing it into the recycling, I sorted myself out some breakfast, a few slices of toast, covered with butter and raspberry jam. Carrying my toast into the front room, I grabbed the remote control with my other hand and dropped myself down onto the lounger. I leaned back into the soft pillows with a content sight and switched on the TV. The screen flickered to life, showing a trailer for a new detective series. I didn't bother to watch and I turned it over onto Cartoon Network. A grin spread across my face when I realised Transformers Prime had just started. The familiar theme song filled the air and I couldn't resist humming alongside it.

Setting the remote down beside me, I began to tuck into my toast, watching in contentment as the Autobots waged battle with Shockwave, both sides trying desperately to retrieve a fossilised jaw of a Predacon. A Predacon was like a dinosaur in some sense, with being extinct and all, but Predacons took the forms of creatures of myth and legend, like dragons and griffins. I found it so epic!

I didn't bother keeping track of the time until I watched the credits roll up the screen and heard the show's theme song. Finishing my last piece of toast and licking my lips clean of crumbles; I rose to my feet and heaved out a long, content sigh. I turned off the TV, walked out of the front room and into the kitchen. I placed my plate in the dishwasher and rushed back upstairs, eager to begin my day with my favourite anime. I got out my portable DVD player and my Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann disc from under a huge pile of pictures and comics I couldn't be bothered to finish and picked up my SONY headphones from my dressing table. I carried my stuff over to my bed, only to realise I hadn't made it yet. Huffing in exasperation, I deposited my stuff at the end of the bed and straightened out the duvet before arranging my pillows in their usual array.

Sure it was still looking a little crumpled and dishevelled, but I was happy with it.

Giving a little nod of approval, I sat down cross-legged and pulled my DVD player onto my lap, untangling my headphones' knots and placing them over my ears so at least I would be able to hear Simon's and Kamina's voices. Whenever I heard their voices, my spirits were always brighter and the small ember of hope inside me would always fan up to a bright and brilliant flame. I turned on my DVD player and the screen flickered to life. A single tendril of hair rested against my nose, and I went a little cross-eyed to stare at it and irritably blew out of my face.

The familiar song of the anime _Sorairo Days __played in my ears and I hummed alongside it, grinning like an idiot when Gurren Lagann appeared as it always did the intro, pummelling Gunmen after Gunmen into scrap. Glowing green drills emerged from all about the mecha's body and it spun rapidly; whipping up a powerful whirlwind that caused enemy Gunmen to collide with each other. Spectacular explosions bloomed across the screen – it nearly brought a tear to my eyes. The episode started and I became enveloped in the sheer epicness of their world, silently wishing I could join them in their adventures and escape the misery of my own dull and horrible world. _

I continued watching in a content silence until the moment in the episode came when Lagann was surrounded by the inhabitants of Littner. A soft sigh of longing escaped me as I was presented with a close-up of my favourite Gunmen, Lagann. It stood around the same height as a fully-grown human and the Gunmen's face was bared a very striking resemblance to a human's face with its yellow eyes, nose and mouth. There was a circular cavity in its forehead and its cockpit was big enough to accommodate a pilot and one passenger.

As the thought of Lagann ran through my mind, my DVD player's colourful screen went black. My eyes widened in shock. What?! NO! What the hell just happened?!

In confusion and slight anger, I tried to shut the DVD player; but it wouldn't budge. I blinked, and frowned, tears already welling up in the corners of my eyes and my bottom lip beginning to tremble. I tried again, and still it refused to relent. Tears were beginning to dribble down my face. Ugh… I was such an easy crier… Anyways, I looked at the dead screen in utter confusion and irritation. Why the hell was it…?

I gasped as suddenly the screen exploded in a burst of blinding light. I thought I heard myself scream, but I was deaf to all sounds. It was as if the flash had rendered all but my sight useless. I tried to pull my eyes away, but they were riveted in place. As I continued to stare into the bright oblivion, an unfamiliar voice whispered softly in my ear, "_Destiny calls upon you…_"

And before I knew it, there was a surprisingly warm numbing sensation and everything dissolved into darkness. It was as if the world no longer existed. The world I once knew had been shattered like a broken mirror, the tiny fragments that remained spiralling away into the black abyss I had succumbed to.

I had no idea what was going on…

But I was unaware of whatever just happened was going to change my life forever.


	3. Chapter 2: Discovery

Stars twinkled in the infinite arch of void-black beyond the moon's corona. In places they were birthstone-blue and beautiful, all a-glitter in their heavenly finery. The ones furthest away, almost outside the span of human comprehension, were like flashing pinpricks in a veil of ebony darkness. They had a faint silver tint and they were like the glittering sparks of a distant cosmic blaze. The moon was like a phantom-silver disc in the sky. Ribbons of moonlight lasered across the surface, dark stacks of prehistoric rock rising from the endless desert like serrated fangs. A few clouds swirled throughout the veil of ebony darkness, not daring to disrupt the looming silver globe from anointing the world below with its ghostly splendour.

Though it was a sight to behold, few creatures were awake to feel the privilege of witnessing such a scene. A soft but icy breeze whispered through the gaping doorway leading into Littner Village.

Despite the unnatural chill to the night air, Littner Village's inhabitants, including its most recent residents, Kamina and Simon, continued to rest peacefully. The two were sleeping in a small timber shack near to the entrance of the village as they did the first night they stayed here, despite Yoko offering them a bed to sleep in. Though Simon would have preferred a nice, soft mattress to lie on and pillow to cushion his head, Kamina was doing just fine acting as his pillow. A brown blanket, slightly tattered at the edges, enveloped the duo. In a slight dent of the blanket, where the crook of Simon's arm was, Boota, a pigmole no bigger than Simon's palm. He was curled up in a tight brown ball, letting out soft snuffles as he slept soundly. The icy breeze trickled through the nooks and crannies of the splintered woodwork and over him, slightly ruffling his fur.

Boota grumbled in protest and snuggled deeper in an attempt to shield himself from the wind, but it was in vain. The wind was tormenting him, tugging at his fur every time he tried to go back to sleep.

"Buuu..." he muttered and reluctantly raised his head from his warm, cosy spot, sleepy eyes trained on the entrance to the shack.

The stirring of Boota made Simon stir a little. Turning his head up to the dark blue-haired boy, he watched as Simon let out a soft moan and snuggled more into Kamina's embrace, the older boy's arm tightening a little around him. His clenched expression softened and a soft sigh drifted through the air before fading into silence, meaning he was asleep once more. The wind that had disturbed his slumber had returned to a gentle murmur, its vigour apparently exhausted. Boota was about to head back into the world of dreams when something caught his attention.

He twitched his nose and took a tentative sniff of the night air. Nothing peculiar wafted up his nostrils. But something had _definitely_ unnerved him. Boota was quick to decide not to dwell on the thought and burrowed back down into the crook of Simon's arm. He closed his eyes, wanting to retreat into the warm void of sleep and forget about whatever had unsettled him.

A few minutes passed, the mystery of whatever had unsettled him preventing Boota from falling back asleep. He opened his eyes, head lying on his front paws, eyes focusing on the door. Another waft of chilly night air flowed into the shack, causing a shiver of unease to run down Boota's spine.

That's it. He needed to find out what it was. The thought of it was agitating enough.

He quietly scrambled to his paws. Boota slithered down the blanket on weightless paws before jumping onto the ground with a soft *THUMP*. Though he had noiselessly crawled off Simon, he was unaware that Simon had _felt _him crawl over him.

Simon's face contorted in discomfort and a soft groan escaped him. It was enough for Boota to freeze in fear. He turned and gazed up at the dark blue-haired boy, who struggled to wake up. He was reluctant to leave the warm nothingness of sleep, but whatever he had felt scampering over him had gotten his attention. Another groan escaped him, but he did give into his curiosity. The blanket rippled and slightly slid off him as Simon straightened up into a sitting position, absently rubbing the sleep from his closed eyes with his coat sleeve. Kamina remained dead to the world, head tilted back and snoring loudly. Once the irritating sleep had gone, Simon's eyes fluttered open, a shadowy Littner slowly materialising into his hazy vision. He pondered on what had caused him to wake up but his train of thought was disrupted by a barely audible, but recognisable squeak.

Lowering his gaze, his eyes widened in surprise at seeing Boota sitting a small distance away from him. Although his glasses concealed his eyes, they failed to mask his disconcerted expression.

"Boota? What's wrong?" the young boy inquired.

The little pigmole didn't answer his question and just dropped down onto all fours, scrambling over and up onto Simon's hand. He nuzzled into his palm, managing to find at least a bit of solace in the warmth he become accustomed to since being held by Simon the first time. Since he had been the runt of the litter, his mother had abandoned him but Simon had been gracious enough to take him into his care, providing him with all the attention and food he needed. The odd thing was with Boota that he never surpassed a certain size; he had always been the size of Simon's palm. Simon watched as Boota snuggled into his hand and gently closed his fingers around the furred creature in a protective manner.

Simon's other hand rose up and began to gently stroke Boota's soft fur. He felt his tensed body become more relaxed.

A peaceful silence washed over the two, the only sounds being the snoring of a slumbering Kamina and the soft whispering of the night breeze outside. Boota enjoyed being stroked by Simon; the boy's familiar touch was enough to soothe his unease. But it did little to get rid of it completely. Boota looked up at Simon, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Simon realised something was up and his fingers stopped. "Boota?"

"Buu… byuuh," Boota replied and gestured to the doorway. Simon, though he was surprised by what he requested, nodded anyway.

As he was about to get up, a blast of icy cold air bombarded the shack, howling like an incensed wolf. Boota squealed shrilly and curled up into a tight ball.

Simon pulled Boota closer, cradling the furred creature against his bare chest. The young boy listened to the mournful wail of the wind carry on for a moment longer before it returned to its soft murmur.

"What was that about?" Simon wondered and gazed enquiringly down at Boota, who slowly uncurled from his ball.

"Buu, byuuh! Buu!" Boota squeaked with a sense of urgency.

Nodding in understanding, Simon deposited Boota on his shoulder and prepared to pull back the blanket. Every so often, his eyes would flicker to the sleeping form of Kamina, but he still remained sleeping like a baby. Eventually, the blanket was off and Simon noiselessly got to his feet. He then spread his arms in a luxurious stretch.

He held the position for a few moments, hearing the soft pops as the tension in his joints loosened. With a soft sigh under his breath, Simon moved to tiptoe out of the shack when a ludicrously loud snort, like a pigmole being interrupted from its sleep, shattered the peace and make the boy freeze up, alarm deadening all feeling in his legs. Heart hammering in his chest, he turned to look at the awkwardly splayed out form of a slumbering Kamina. He let out another snort, making Simon's heart inch up his throat, but it receded when Kamina grumbled something intelligible and turned onto his side, his hand unconsciously taking the abandoned side of the blanket onto his curled up body.

"So much for sharing, Bro," Simon whispered in amusement and tiptoed out of the shack and into the open.

The hangar was silent and deserted. Simon embraced himself, shivering at how ice-cold the night air was. He turned his head towards the entrance of Littner. Boota gestured to it with a waving paw, encouraging his master to take a step towards it.

Before he could take any more steps, the pattering of feet caught his attention. They sounded relatively light, suggesting it was a young child or something. It was in fact a small girl. Long black hair cascaded over her shoulders and a set of deep blue eyes regarded him with curiosity and… worry? She was holding a long-eared bunny plush, the majority of the body being coloured a deep rose-pink, complemented by a set of pure white paws, muzzle and stomach.

"Are you leaving, Mr. Simon?" she asked in an innocent voice, inclining her head to the side. Simon was shocked by her question, as was Boota. The digger scratched behind his ear uncomfortably, uncertain how to phrase it so she would understand.

"Uh… no. I'm not leaving, wouldn't think of it!" Simon told her. "Isn't that right, Boota?" The pigmole answered with a squeak of accord.

"What are you doing then?" Her tone conveyed more curiosity than worry now, relieving the digger.

"Uh… I just thought I heard something outside and I'm… er… going to investigate," Simon lied, cheeks burning with embarrassment. He mentally scolded himself for doing such a thing. Lying was one of the worst things he could do, to a little girl no less!

The little girl's eyes stretched until the whites of her eyes showed and she protectively tightened her grip on her beloved plush. "I-Is it something b-bad?" she stuttered.

"No! No… I'm sure it's nothing. Just an animal or something being nosy," Simon hurriedly reassured her.

The little girl's eyes returned to their original size and she sighed in relief. "Well, that's a big relief!" she giggled, Simon giving his own share of soft laughter. Her giggling was interrupted by a long, loud yawn.

Simon's eyes softened. "Perhaps, you should head back to bed."

"I don't wanna though…" the little girl protested sleepily, but it was cut short by another long yawn.

Simon gave her a soft smile and was grateful enough to escort her back to bed, tuck her in and watch her drift into slumber. He spent a few moments observing the young girl as she slept, the duvet covering her petite form gently rising and falling as she breathed. Boota poked him in the cheek, disrupting his daze and urged him to clamber back down the ladder. Simon suddenly remembered what he had woken up for. He descended to the ladder and planted his feet on solid ground. Turning his attention back to Littner's entrance, he took a deep breath to clear his mind and prepared to head towards it.

If only he didn't hear a familiar voice say his name.

"Simon?"

Simon swung his head around and saw a feminine figure emerge from the darkness, holding a cup of hot coco and her magma-red hair slightly dishevelled. It was Yoko. Boota perked up at the sight of her, wagging his tail side to side. It was easy enough to see he was excited to see her and he wasn't making an attempt to disguise it. She walked up to him, regarding him with worried eyes.

"What are you doing up at this hour? I was expecting you to be asleep with Kamina," Yoko commented.

A blush threatened to form on his cheeks and Simon quickly to turn away to prevent Yoko from seeing it. "Um… I was… uh… g-going out… for a… walk. Yeah, for a walk…" he muttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked back at redhead, noticing the worry in her eyes grow.

Embarrassment tickled at the edges of his consciousness. His cheeks reddened a little, but the shadows of the night concealed it.

"Is something bothering you?"

Simon shook his head, still keeping his eyes focused away from Yoko. "N-No… I-I…" he stuttered, unable to speak coherently.

Yoko simply gave him a gentle smile and guzzled down the remainder of her hot coco in a long draught before asking, "Do… do you mind if I joined you? It seems I can't get to sleep at all."

The young boy's eyes flickered back up to her and responded with a small nod. Boota accompanied his response with a more enthusiastic bobbing of his head, tail still wagging. So, Yoko disappeared into the darkness and returned the empty cup to a beverage table situated near the towering legs of Gurren, the Gunmen Kamina had gotten his hands on yesterday afternoon. It had been stylised until it resembled him in every way, expressing his flamboyant and tenacious attitude through the bright colours that decorated its frame. She stopped for a second, staring up at the Gunmen with wistful eyes. Sure, she thought Kamina was reckless and stupid, but sometimes… he really can pull off some incredible feats one cannot simply accomplish on their own. Like hijacking a Gunmen…

_Hmm… Perhaps one day… this little team Gurren can really grow to be something… Something that can never be defeated… Especially with Kamina leading us._ Yoko was already imagining the future that lay in wait for Team Gurren, where it was abundant in its members, ranging from children to elderly, but all having their minds set on one thing, creating a better tomorrow. She fondly remembered a certain saying her mother, Ysoko, would always tell her after returning from a tough day of battling Beastmen: "For every enemy you make, a new friendship is forged."

A longing sigh escaped her, part of her mind wanting relive those bittersweet memories, the times of fun with her comrades. But she couldn't travel back in time sadly, so she had to concentrate on the future, protecting her beloved village and the people that inhabited it with her life.

After giving her head a mild shake to clear it, Yoko got ready to join Simon to go on his "midnight stroll" when a subtle, but masculine voice sounded from behind one of the mecha's legs, "Well, well, well… looks who's up and about."

Yoko recognised the tone of voice as Leeron's. She raised her eyebrows in surprise as Leeron emerged from the shadows, one hand holding a small circular device, its dark orange screen swarming with data. He blinked his midnight-black eyelashes at her, equally surprised.

"I wasn't expecting you to be up and about this hour, hun~" Leeron commented.

"Same goes for you, Ron," Yoko countered, crossing her arms over her chest. "What are you doing anyway?"

A long sigh escaped the man's lips as his dreamy gaze up to Gurren. His hips wriggled at Leeron remembered the moment he discovered all the glorious energy contained within the crimson mecha. "Just finishing off a couple bits and pieces… I still can't get over how much extraordinary power is contained within this big fella." He giggled, a faint blush working its way to his cheeks. "It makes me blush every time."

"Gurren is rather strong for a Gunmen," Yoko agreed.

Leeron did a little pirouette on the spot. "Ahh… It was such a feeling when I found out. Though I have _lots _of beauty sleep to catch up on, my body seems to work all night long! I'm certainly not complaining! I haven't even got a single wrinkle from this much work!" His free hand caressed his unblemished skin lovingly.

Yoko's face wore a look of utter bewilderment. "Uh-huh…"

The mechanic's head inclined a little to the side, gazing at the redhead in childish curiosity. "So… what are you doing out here then?" he enquired noisily.

"I was just getting ready to go on a walk with Simon, that's all," Yoko replied in a slightly irritable tone.

It seemed Leeron was unable to hold back another one of his girlish giggles. Yoko's eyes hardened and she gave the giggling man a pointed glare.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh… it's nothing, sweetie. It's just… never mind," Leeron said, dismissing the thought. "By the way… I was wondering if I can join you two. A midnight stroll sounds like the perfect escape for me from busying myself on this sweet hunk beside me all the time."

"Sure, Ron. If you want to," Yoko answered and turned around to begin her trek back to Simon.

As she began to walk away, Leeron deactivated the device in his hand, the bright screen and the precious data that scrolled down it fading to black. Caressing his gizmo's pad affectionately, he shut it and deposited it on the beverage's table and trotted over to join Yoko. The two walked across the forsaken hangar over to Simon, who had been preoccupied gazing at the stars and trying to keep himself warm. He registered the rhythmic footfalls of Yoko approaching and turned, his eyes widening in surprise at seeing Leeron.

"Buu?" Boota uttered softly, confused.

"I wondered what was taking you so long, Yoko," Simon said, his inquisitive gaze flicking to Leeron.

Leeron just smiled. "Is something wrong, honeybun?" he asked, fluttering his long eyelashes charismatically at the young boy.

Simon shook his head sheepishly, turning his eyes away. "N-No…" he mumbled, feeling a little uncomfortable at hearing the man's affectionate tone of voice. He looked at Yoko, hoping for an answer but she just shrugged in uncertainty, an "I-don't-know" look on her face.

"Should we get going?" Simon decided to change the subject before things could become too awkward.

The two exchanged glances and before Yoko could nod, another familiar voice asked quietly from across the hall, "What are you three doing up?"

The trio's heads pivoted in sync at where the voice came from, all recognising it immediately. It was Dayakka. The older man stepped out of the shadows, the silver shaft of moonlight trickling through the entrance revealing he had trouble sleeping as well. His white vest was wrinkled and unkempt, as was his dark brown hair. Dayakka brushed a hand through the tangled mess, trying to neaten it out. Dayakka walked towards them at what seemed to be like a snail's pace, but eventually arrived at Yoko's side, still toying with his hair.

"I thought I heard voices," Dayakka remarked, quirking his eyebrows quizzically. He directed the look at Simon in particular. The digger gave a sheepish grin to try and hide his embarrassment. "What are you three up to exactly?"

"We're just getting ready to go on an ideal midnight stroll. It seems like none of us can sleep," Leeron put in, looking perplexed.

All besides Kamina that was. The tattooed bluenette was still snoring away in the shack, oblivious to the events happening elsewhere.

"So Simon figured it would best to go on a midnight stroll just to… what's the word?" Leeron stopped in mid-sentence to ponder. The words came to mind and his smile reappeared. "Loosen up and relax… I suppose you could say."

Dayakka hummed and turned his attention to the entrance, finally taking his hand out of his bedraggled hair, which didn't look even a bit better. "That sounds like a good idea. I've been struggling to get to sleep myself all of a sudden. I thought it seemed a little out of character that no one can get to sleep," he confessed.

"Right now, I think the best thing was to pull aside whatever has caused this and have a little chat before we can set off, so we can actually enjoy it and not have whatever woke us up nagging at our minds," Yoko suggested thoughtfully.

Leeron nodded, smiling approvingly. "That's not a bad idea," he commented.

Yoko returned the smile and turned to Simon, as Leeron and Dayakka began to discuss things in muted voices. "So… what caused you to wake up so suddenly then?" she started a little awkwardly, considering _she_ was the one that began the conversation.

Boota sat absently on Simon's shoulder, oblivious to everything besides the desert that stretched beyond on what his eyes could perceive sight of. He stared into the wilderness outside, the only guidance being the moon's soothing light for wary survivors to traverse by. While staring at the scene, a faint trace of his unease nagged at his mind.

Boota gave his head a frantic shake, refusing to allow himself to become uncomfortable again. He turned back his attention to the real world but the pigmole remained in an almost dreamlike daze.

Without warning, an earth-shattering boom splintered the silence that entombed the landscape, setting off a miniature earthquake beneath the humans' feet. The ground quaked and juddered violently, small spouts of dust and pebbles showering down from the bolstered ceiling. The rumbling continued, sending everyone tumbling to the ground and Boota flying off Simon's shoulder with a shrill squeal.

The earth-shaking explosion had apparently hadn't been heard by the most of Littner's inhabitants, but a few had roused, promptly yawning before falling back to sleep.

"Is everyone okay?" Dayakka looked down at his fallen friends, his brows furrowing in concern.

Simon nodded shakily and struggled to his feet. "A little shaken up, but fine." Boota toddled unsteadily towards Simon's feet and he knelt down and scooped up the tiny pigmole, who collapsed gratefully into his hands.

"You okay, Boota?" Simon noticed that Boota hadn't done anything than lie silently in his hands and it drew his concern.

Boota didn't respond at first, and Simon suspected something was wrong, but that thought quickly vanished when Boota turned his head and let out a soft squeak. He visibly relaxed and placed the pigmole on his shoulder again. Turning his head towards Yoko, he asked whether she was okay, worry obvious in his indigo eyes.

"I'm fine, Simon," Yoko reassured him.

He sighed softly in relief. But, as the breath was exhaled, he felt taints of his embarrassment tickle the edges of his consciousness again.

"What on earth was that?" Dayakka asked once everyone had somewhat recovered.

"That is beyond me," Leeron mused, caressing his bottom lip with a garnished nail. His eyes stared outside, gleaming with curiosity. "I do wonder though…"

That jumpstarted an entire new conversation, most of it involving Leeron giving his bizarre theories of what could have caused the boom in the first place. Yoko criticised his wild imagination, and eventually ended up sounding like a mother scolding her child. The two began squabbling, Dayakka unfortunately becoming drawn in when attempting to cleanly separate them. Simon and Boota observed from the sidelines, eyes wide with confusion of how a simple chat had erupted into a fully-fledged yelling match. Their raucous voices echoed throughout the hangar, making it easy for a sleeping Kamina to hear them.

He moaned in protest and his eyelids quivered. It took about half a minute to wake himself up. Eyes reluctantly opening, Littner slowly came into focus, as well as the voices of Dayakka, Yoko and Leeron. The self-declared badass winced at little at the clamour.

"What the hell…?" he muttered, a little indignantly for them for interrupting his sleep.

Carelessly tossing the blanket off him into a crumpled heap, he jumped to his feet and slipped on his father's cape, his hands fiddling to fasten the bonds encircling his neck. It drooped to the ground until the slightly tattered edges touched the earth. Dusting himself off, Kamina adjusted his flashy sunglasses and with an overly exaggerated cranky face, promenaded out to deal with the chaos.

The group was unaware of Kamina approaching, too absorbed in their squabbling to notice.

Kamina walked up behind Simon and screamed at the top of his voice, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

Simon let out a short, but sharp cry of alarm and whirled around, his eyes as wide and as round as the full moon. "B-Bro?!" he stuttered in shock.

Yoko and the others were silenced by his rather violent outburst, either staring at a convenient rock lying at their feet or off to the side in a vain attempt to not meet the bluenette's enraged face. Kamina folded his arms and let out an exasperated huff at them pitifully trying not to meet his eyes. His foot tapped incessantly on the rocky ground, he was obviously anticipating an answer from someone.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments.

Kamina sighed hard and repeated his question irritably, but much less loudly, "What the hell is going on here?"

Luckily, his less aggressive and quieter voice was enough to lessen Simon's fear and though he hesitated at first, Boota gave his cheek an encouraging lick. He managed to muster up the strength to confront the frustrated Kamina. "The thing is Bro… no one knows what's happening," he explained in a shaking voice, "It started with Boota waking me up and before I know it, all four of us are awake, struggling to get back to sleep. It's as if something's causing all of this… causing everyone to be so restless or unable to sleep without feeling something's feels… unnatural."

"That still doesn't explain this, does it?!" Kamina hollered, even more irritated that no one could explain what was happening.

Simon looked down guiltily. "But… but I wasn't…" His voice nearly cracked.

"Hey!" A voice cut him off before he could shout again. Kamina looked up, surprised at seeing Yoko storming up to him; her amber coloured eyes smouldered with unconcealed anger.

She pushed her face into his; Kamina withdrawing a bit from the incensed redhead, feeling invaded. "It's not Simon's fault that he can't explain what happened!" she scolded him furiously, "You can't blame him from lacking the ability to not explain with completely breaking up! He's too shaken up, you as good as anyone Kamina should be able to see that in his eyes." Pulling away, Yoko crossed her arms over her chest, still looking angry. "But I fail to see such understanding in someone who shouts at their own brother without reason."

"Butt out, pit-chick! No one asked your big ass to participate in this conversation!" Kamina snapped back irritably.

Yoko stiffened at that insult and fury flared in her eyes. "You're a thoughtless idiot, Kamina!" she retorted.

"What did you call me?!"

"Yes, I said it! At least I actually have the strength to say these things to your face!"

"Just who the hell do you think you are?!"

"I'm not a reckless lunatic, that's for one thing! As explained by a particular someone today!"

"A true man's actions are defined by his will to continue the fight, to never yield, to never retreat! He does these things to continue the fight for humanity's freedom and must face the consequences with manliness!"

"That's rich coming from someone who nearly died earlier on today!"

"It was worth it! Hijacking that Gunmen is an massive addition to Team Gurren's strength!"

"Worth it?! What good is nearly sacrificing your life for acquiring that hunk of junk?!"

"What-"

"BRO!" A shrill, desperate scream stopped Kamina in mid-sentence, jumping at least a foot into the air.

Kamina whipped his head around, eyes widening a bit when he saw Simon was trembling uncontrollably, appearing to be on the verge of breaking up in emotion.

"Simon, what-" Kamina tried to speak, but his voice caught in his throat.

"B-Bro…" Simon stuttered, hunching over to prevent anyone from seeing the tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "H-How long…"

"Simon, I…" Kamina was cut off again, but this time, it was at the sound of barely contained whimpering, which make his heart ache.

"H-How long are you going to keep on arguing?!" The young boy cried in anguish, jerking his head up. "T-This seems so…. so meaningless! Y-You two are arguing f-for no apparent reason when out there… there is s-something is just waiting… just waiting to kill us!" His voice faltered after the last word, being reduced to ragged pants as Simon gazed at the older boy beseechingly with glittering eyes.

There was silence for a few minutes, no one having the courage to speak up to break the peace as Simon managed to regain his composure, his eyes still shimmering dully with tears. It was until Kamina released a heavy sigh and walked over to Simon, enveloping him in a comforting embrace. Simon closed his eyes and nestled his head in Kamina's chest, allowing a few beads to escape down his cheeks.

Kamina did his best to soothe Simon and softly whispered, "I'm sorry, Simon… I didn't mean to cause this… It's just… so much weird stuff is going on right now… and it… it's difficult to get my head round it."

Simon sniffed, comforted by the familiar closeness. "Why… why didn't you just say that before then?" he murmured, blinking the tears out of his eyes.

"My anger got the better of me… And a true man would never ever allow that to happen. For if such an emotion began overriding him, he would be blinded from seeing everything he inflicts, whether it be pain or hatred. If an emotion like that does stir up though, he must use it to his advantage. Not so it overwhelms him and makes it impossible to see what damage he is causing."

"So… I guess it got the better of you here, Bro."

"I guess so."

The duo exchanged soft chuckles and separated, Simon feeling more reassured that this was only once in a lifetime occasion where anger overrode Kamina's sense of logical thought. To be honest, sometimes it seemed he didn't possess any at all. Simon hummed at the thought and gazed back up at the older boy, who gave him a playful wink, his anger now having dissipated.

He looked at Yoko, still waiting for _her _apology.

"Sorry about what I said before, Yoko…" Kamina muttered, rubbing his head and sounding truly remorseful.

They young woman didn't give a verbal response and acknowledged his apology with a gentle nod. She returned the apology by blinking at him regretfully. Kamina just grinned like an idiot. A smile played upon Yoko's face, her anger slowly fading at the goofy display.

"So… are we finished here then?" Leeron asked, quirking an eyebrow.

The duo nodded.

"I recommend we all have a breather then, for it's becoming a little too heated up in here for my liking," the mechanic advised, motioning towards the entrance with his eyes.

Everyone began walking towards the entrance but Kamina caused everyone to halt with a shocked "What", drawn out for clear emphasis.

"Are you really heading out there?"

There was a teasing twinkle in Yoko's eyes as she mused, "Why? Does the mighty Kamina dislike the cold?"

Kamina sarcastically rolled his eyes. "As if!"

Leeron smiled slyly and invited Kamina to go first. "After you then."

His swagger deflated, but he managed to conceal it. The five advanced towards the entrance of Littner, bracing against the gusts of wind that nipped painfully at their exposed skin like icy needles. They emerged into the open, circling around the massive rock that was like a silent sentinel watching over Littner and pressed forward to where the passage opened up to the sandy wilderness. Yoko immediately regretted her suggestion as they were bombarded with a stronger, icy gust of wind that nearly sent Boota off Simon's shoulder. The pigmole hauled himself back up onto Simon's shoulder, curling up into a ball of fur to protect himself from the biting wind. The wind continued for a moment's longer, before it softened, producing a gentle whistling sound as it meandered through the rock-strewn passage.

"Crap… it's freezing out here," Kamina muttered beneath his breath, bemused by the turn of events.

Dayakka wasn't complaining though. He sighed softly and inclined his head, drawing in a deep breath. "I wouldn't necessarily say that, Kamina. I think it's rather refreshing to be perfectly honest."

Leeron was busy in observing the crystal clear sky stretching overhead. "This may not be what I had in mind, but I guess it'll do."

Simon gazed at the sky overhead as well and closed his eyes in contentment, feeling the refreshing, crisp night air wash away his concerns. "Yeah… it does feel nice." But it wasn't working for Boota. He remained unsettled on Simon's shoulder, his fur spiking out in all directions to make him look like a scruffy hedgehog.

Yoko remained silent but contemplated on the turn of events, eventually turning her gaze skywards to stargaze.

A few minutes of complete silence passed, well… almost silence as Kamina whinged and grumbled under his breath.

Another breeze of icy wind flowed over them. Kamina shivered violently as the freezing air hit his exposed skin. The chattering of his teeth was so loud he drew Yoko out of her trance. She simply huffed in irritation, folding her arms over her chest. Sure it was a little nippy, but he didn't necessarily need to be a drama queen about it.

"W-Why the h-hell is so c-c-cold?!" His trembling voice complained in annoyance.

Yoko grew more irritated with his over dramatic display, but she managed to keep it at bay. She gave the bluenette a pointed glare and suddenly a devilishly evil idea came to mind. A sly smirk formed on her face. "Are you complaining of a little wind?" she asked, slightly arching up an eyebrow. But there was a teasing twinkle in her amber eyes.

Yoko gave a soft, light-hearted giggle when Kamina stared at her in shock, but the stunned look was short-lived.

"Me? Complaining? Pfft." Kamina waved his hand nonchalantly. He straightened up and puffed his chest out, lifting his head high. "As if I, the mighty Kamina, would shiver from some little breeze!"

Yoko giggled again, fluttering her eyelashes at him in pretend mockery. "Oh really?" she remarked, leaning towards him, "What was that shivering all about then?"

Kamina's pose was quick to falter at that mention. His shoulders grew saggy and his face crumpled up in misery. He hated when women pointed out the obvious. "I wasn't shivering! Nor was I complaining about some stupid breeze!"

Yoko smiled teasingly. "That's not the way I see it."

As the two began to exchange retorts, Leeron was lucky enough to have eavesdropped on their conversation, his interest having deepened when Kamina complained about the freezing air. To be perfectly honest, the air did feel somewhat… different than to what is usually was. It felt unnaturally heavy as well as freezing.

"I'd hate to say it… but Kamina does make a point," Leeron murmured.

"What do you mean?" Simon inquired, tilting his head in confusion.

Leeron turned to the young boy. "The temperature is abnormal. It's usually a few degrees warmer than this…" He paused, directing his gaze back out into the desert before returning it to the stars once more. "And I'm beginning to think that everything is beginning to coordinate with one another, all of us struggling to sleep… or just being restless… before that boom occurred… it just amplifies the unnaturalness of it all."

As Leeron turned back to his surveillance duty, Dayakka murmured, "I do wonder what caused that boom in the first place…"

"That, is once again, is beyond me," came Leeron's response without disturbing his observation of the star-studded sky overhead. After those words, he became silent and still, paying no heed to the bickering of Yoko and Kamina in the background.

The two returned to their own little worlds, leaving Simon and Boota to be alone in their own troubled thoughts. The young boy flicked his gaze down to the pigmole who absentmindedly scratched an itch on his back before gazing back, his obsidian-black glasses gleaming in the moonlight. They both understood how deep their feelings went. Then they both turned to look out into the desert.

It perplexed him that all these events seemed to be happening deliberately after one another - Boota waking up, him being woken up by Boota, meeting up Yoko and Leeron, saying that they were restless, then meeting Dayakka, who complained he was struggling to get back to sleep, before finally Kamina waking up, confronting them with a furious outburst…

But… one thought amid all of that troubled him the most.

"_What_ did cause that boom?" He murmured, his words faintly recoiling of the walls of prehistoric rock that encircled him and Boota.

But of all were oblivious to the fact that somewhere in the world had arrived the unlikeliest of visitors, whose nature was like that of Kamina's, hot-blooded and tenacious but who possessed a power very similar but very different to that of the Power of the Spiral. Unravelling the power's secrets will prove to be a challenging task, but once discovered, this person shall use this power to bring about a better tomorrow for all Spiral life and Spiral life to come.


	4. Chapter 2: Discovery (Part 2)

The full moon remained forever watchful, suspended in mid-air like an unblinking eye. But nevertheless, it continued to anoint the slumbering world below with its brilliance, sending ghostly-silver beams across the sandy wilderness. Chords of phantom-silver moonlight spilled into a vast spanning, barren plateau. Plants that punctured the earth struggled to survive, withering and becoming sickly brown, providing little protection from the unforgiving and sweltering heat that animals had to tolerate come day. A wall of prehistoric rock encircled the plateau and lofty towers of stone, silvered by the moonlight, stood proudly in their solitaries. It seemed no living being could exist here in this merciless place, the moon revealed something strange lying in the heart of the gigantic space.

A human.

A human lay motionless in the centre. But it was more mesmerising about who this human was.

It was me.

I lay there, unconscious, after apparently being zapped from my bedroom into the middle of nowhere. My usual outfit: a Transformers hoodie with jet-black leggings and nothing on my feet other than a pair of white, bedraggled slippers adorned with fluffy pompoms had drastically transformed. Instead of it, I was wearing a bright magma-red top with a brilliant white star in the centre accompanied with a pair of black leggings. An obsidian-black belt, adorned with burnished silver studs and buckle, was strapped around my waist. A tall-necked, long, orange coat was draped over my shoulders with light silver studs adorning the sleeves and flames, coloured a molten yellow, decorating up the sleeves and up to my shoulders. Emblazoned on the back was an insignia of a flaming red skull wearing V-shaped sunglasses.

"Ugh…" An agonised groan was all I could muster when I finally came to. My face, covered in dirt and scratches that sluggishly oozed blood, clenched up, another low moan escaping me. My mind spent the next moment or two aimlessly wandering the black oblivion that had swallowed me up before feeling began to return. The white noise plaguing my ears slowly cleared, allowing me to hear the whispering of the frigid wind.

My hands twitched, pawing around to feel what I could feel. The ground I lay upon was rough and was strewn with tiny fragments of sharp stone.

And my eyes slowly fluttered open, blinking a couple times in an attempt to clear my blurry vision. When the blurriness cleared, I felt panic seize the deepest pit of my heart when I realised something.

The world was _red_.

I blinked rapidly to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. But each time, the image stayed the same, my surroundings looking like they have been drenched in blood. My heart began pounding in my chest and blood began roaring in my ears. Back in my world, I had been prone to panicking over the silliest of things and I knew from the moment I felt my erratic heartbeat, I was beginning to panic. Breathing hard, I tried to remember what I did to calm myself down but my throbbing head protested. I clenched my teeth, refusing to stop trying. I wasn't going to succumb to pain and buckets of tears again. Finally, after a few long, gruelling minutes, the solution came to mind.

I clenched my eyes shut and took in a long, deep breath. I continued taking deep breaths, each lungful of the crisp night air making me slowly relax. A period of peacefulness followed, dispersing all the panic I had felt before. My palpitating heart slowed too, returning to a gentle and more controlled rhythm.

Now that I had calmed down, my body laid there motionlessly for the next few seconds, softly breathing like I was asleep

My eyes willed themselves to open again, encountering the scarlet wasteland that surrounded me. I turned to my thoughts to why the world was looking the way it was. The answer was blatantly simple as there was only one thing I knew of that made surroundings appear darker or different colours. It was sunglasses! I was wearing sunglasses! How they got there or why I was wearing them was another story to resolve later. I reached up a hand to them and traced the outline with trembling fingers. The ends split off from each other, tapering into three razor-sharp flames. My hand got a proper grip on them and slowly, I removed them, revealing a sight that rendered me speechless with wonder.

A lifeless desert was stretching out before me, going further beyond my eyes could see. In the distance, a wall of prehistoric stone encircled the plateau I was in. A few towering stacks stood proudly in their solitaries, looking like skyscrapers disguised in rock. And far overhead was a boundless arch of vulcanite-black, tiny flashing pinpricks of light winking at me amongst the darkness. Stars, ranging from brilliant polar-white to constellation-blue, were scattered across it like bejewelled grains of sands left to sparkle in silence. Accompanying them was the full moon, casting an eerie, silvery glow upon the rocks that surrounded me.

As I took in my surroundings, a question stirred in my mind: where the hell was I?

It was difficult to remember what had happened and when I tried, my head pounded as if it had been hit by a sledgehammer. Groaning a little, I decided to leave the matter for now, though it did aggravate me. I just slipped my sunglasses back on and focused on getting up. Taking a deep breath, I gritted my teeth and tried to get up with a laboured and excruciating effort. I managed to get halfway when my arms faltered beneath my weight, crumpling as if they were fragile twigs. Collapsing to the ground with a dull thud, a soft grunt of frustration managed to escape pass my clenched teeth.

"Damn it…" I cursed softly and made another attempt.

My arms didn't give away beneath me this time and I managed to push myself up to an awkward sitting position, my hazel eyes studying the landscape. This better position presented a better perspective of my surroundings, although they looked the same as before. Just as I was about to turn around, my body was unprepared for agony that bombarded me like a tempest of knifes to the stomach. The air rushed out of my lungs and I struggled to get a breath, like I had been pulled beneath hundreds of feet underwater. Nothing but pain consumed my thoughts, making me oblivious to anything but it. It burned like liquid fire through my veins and showed no signs of lessening any time soon. Instinctively, my hands travelled down to my stomach.

But the moment they touched my stomach, my body was seized by an icy chill.

I felt something warm and sticky against my palms. Taking away my hands, I raised them to eye level; my eyes paling in horror at seeing something crimson and glistening had smothered against my palms. A sharp pang of dread pierced my heart, though I was oblivious to it. It was blood. I was bleeding. A wave of nausea washed over me. But, how was I…?

Why was I bleeding?

I dared to shift my eyes down to see what horrific injury I had sustained. But before I could, a faint light caught my attention. My eyes turned to that instead, widening in disbelief and… awe?

Dangling from a string of leather was a surprisingly familiar drill-shaped pendant. Although the drill was transparent, I could still clearly see spiralling indentations engraved into the surface before converging at the tapered point. And I could see where the glow was coming from.

A miniature galaxy of vibrant orange stars glittered in the centre of the drill, blinking a faint orange in time with my heartbeat. I carefully enclosed my hand around it and lifted it up a little. Waves of heat radiated off the mini drill, warming my hand as if the drill was containing a flame. Speaking of flames, the stars at the drill's heart were swirling with aimless elegance, constantly shifting and changing shape, resembling that of a flickering flame.

"A Core Drill…?" I couldn't stop the words from tumbling out.

But that was impossible! The only place I've seen a Core Drill was in… Gurren Lagann. No, that's impossible. I couldn't be Gurren Lagann. Gurren Lagann was a fictional world. It wasn't real!

As memories of me watching the anime, writing fanfictions about it and drawing the anime's characters scorched through my mind, I suddenly became aware of something else. I wasn't wearing my usual clothes. Instead, I was wearing a bright magma-red top with a brilliant white star in the centre accompanied with a pair of black leggings. An obsidian-black belt, adorned with burnished silver studs and buckle, was strapped around my waist. A tall-necked, long, orange coat was draped over my shoulders with light silver studs adorning the sleeves and flames, coloured a molten yellow, decorating up the sleeves and up to my shoulders. Emblazoned on the back was an insignia of a flaming red skull wearing V-shaped sunglasses.

When all of this came to together, billions of things ran through my mind at once. Despite the initial "I'm in Gurren Lagann!" was how the hell was I even here? There wasn't a physical, mental and extraterrestrial way I could be here in this world! My mind was now a mess of questions. How did I get here? Why am I here? Why do I own a Core Drill? I wasn't exactly sure how to process the information but I knew that there wasn't anything I could do.

Sighing in frustration, I stared the drill pendant for a moment longer before allowed it to settle around my neck.

Though the drill was very similar to that of Simon's Core Drill, it was very difference at the same time. I considered the fact that since the glittering stars inside of it looked like a flame; I decided to rename it as a Core Flame.

I was still awfully confused as why I was here. But I seemed to know that I was here for a reason, for what reason I didn't know yet. Perhaps I'll find out in due time.

With that matter resolved, I regained awareness of the throbbing in my left side and turned my eyes down to it. I wasn't prepared for what I saw.

A massive gash was visible in my left side, scarlet blood gushing out profusely and dried blood already encrusting around the edges of my torn clothing. My left hand immediately clutched onto it, pressing hard against to obstruct the flow of blood but it was in vain. The blood oozed out between the gaps of my fingers and the red liquid quickly engulfed my palm, making it feel warm and uncomfortably sticky. I winced a little at the dull pulsing coming from it, gritting my teeth to endure it. After that, I tried to get to my feet. It felt like I was trying to conquer Mount Everest at this rate but eventually, I staggered to my feet, swaying slightly as dizziness gripped me again.

I faltered once, twice, before finally managed to get myself stable. My weary and exhausted eyes studied my surroundings, finding nothing new.

The stillness that entombed this secluded place was suddenly ruptured by the cry of a bird wheeling in the sky overhead. I averted my eyes skyward, glimpsing its miniature form, eclipsed in obsidian-black, silhouetted against the starry backdrop. The rocky hollowness of the cliffs made it seem mournful and cavern loud. It echoed at first with a sorrowful sound, recoiling from cliff-rock. It rebounded and its vibrations were resonating in the spacious air. The bouncing and distortion of sound rang out once more. Then it foundered and finally faded into nothingness.

_Am I alone out here?_ I thought, my hazel gaze lowering, a distant look in them as I recalled the familiar feelings of loneliness and neglect.

I turned my head to see if there was any worth investigating behind. There was.

A path of destruction was stretching out before me, littered with small fires, their flames licking greedily at upturned fragments of rock. It led to a sudden, but shallow dip in the earth, faint plumes of light grey smoke billowing up from it. My nostrils were assaulted by the stench of scorched metal and I recoiled a little in disgust. But, of course, curiosity got the better of me and walked towards it.

I followed the path of destruction, being mindful where I put my feet and soon arrived at the rim at the crater. Once my eyes settled upon what was lying at the bottom, I felt my heart stop. I didn't understand, as if my brain had short-circuited and needed to be rebooted. I was blinking my eyes rapidly trying to refresh my vision.

Each time, the image stayed the same. At the bottom was a… Gunmen.

It was severely damaged, sparks fizzing from broken machinery and a strange orange fluid oozing from punctured fuel lines, forming small, shimmering puddles. Pieces of serrated shrapnel were also embedded in its armour, mostly riddling open wounds. A particularly large and ugly wound was visible on the Gunmen's shoulder, the armour that once protected the mechanisms beneath being torn open, revealing a complicated array of wires and other things. Sparks showered from severed wires and more of that orange fluid poured from the fuel lines, the vibrant colours that once decorated it now discoloured by the fierce fire.

I couldn't move. My body refused to, as if it had been immobilised by the sheer shock of seeing a Gunmen. Only my feet shuffled a little, dislodging a few loose fragments of stone and sent them tumbling down in a miniature avalanche. The sound of them cascading was enough to shatter my concentration and I blinked, half expecting the mecha to jump at me but it stayed lifeless. I blinked again, but this time it was in confusion. Why wasn't it moving? Was the Beastman pilot inside unconscious? Had the Gunmen been abandoned, like me?

My confusion soon dispersed, giving way to strong curiosity. Wanting to satisfy my curiosity, I hunkered down at the edge of the hollow which was difficult with an injured side and cautiously descended the sloping incline of the crater to investigate. Apprehension gnawed the edges of my mind, but I managed to ignore it. As I slid down, my eyes scanned the mecha's battered body, suddenly riveting to something that I found surprising.

A small patch of colour on its side.

I forged my way towards it, driven onwards by my curiosity which continued to escalate as I get closer. I lifted my hand and gently pressed it against it, a small shiver passing through my body as the cool metal pressed against my warm palm. My fingers explored the patch of armour, tracing the seams and grooves that decorated the surface. As I touched it, the contact made a new feeling introduce itself to my mind. I was shocked at the feeling. It was the feeling of familiarity. How could this Gunmen feel familiar? I didn't know it! It didn't belong to me!

But when I realised the armour deep crimson colour of the armour, I thought otherwise.

Memories of watching Gurren Lagann and creating my own characters to incorporate into the anime's storyline flashed before my eyes, making me finally understand something. But it was something I wasn't ready to confirm just yet. I needed more evidence.

So, my eyes scanned the battered mecha's body, suddenly noticing more things that I hadn't noticed before.

Two large wings, coloured orange and black, extended out from its back, folded up like a pair of dragon's wings. The ends separated into three razor-sharp flames, like my sunglasses. Below the wings was a levisphere. But the most obvious thing that that made me realise that it was truly what I thought it was initially was the head. It reminded an awful lot of Simon's Gunman, Lagann, mainly because the way it was designed, but it was really easy to tell the two mechas apart. Two golden pieces of metal, attached to a small circular cavity in the middle of its head, protruded outwards and curved upwards, like Gurren Lagann's helmet, but instead the golden pieces of metals had been shaped into miniature flames, and they continued until the two pieces of metal converged at a tapered point.

One word formed from all of this: _Infernus_.

Infernus was lying in front of me. He was real, the Gunmen I created was real. And all this time, I thought it was just a figment of my imagination.

"So… you are real then," I murmured in half-disbelief, half-amazement, taking my hand off the armour.

I slowly forged my way around Infernus to its head, feeling a wave of nausea surge through me at passing its damaged shoulder. My sore feet dragged across the ground as if invisible weights had manacled onto them and my entire body ached. Just to add to it, the wound in my side had progressed from bad to worse and every time I moved, the throbbing pain would border on the edge of turning into a burning agony. I pushed my hand harder against, but I knew the effort to hinder the blood's path was in vain. My eyes turned from my wound back to Infernus. If Infernus is mine, how the hell was I go around piloting this thing?

Out of plain interest, I lifted a hand and my fingers grazed against the black stripe that travelled down the middle of Infernus' helmet, my mind swarming with questions. When my fingers ghosted over the cool metal, it seemed to react to my touch as if recognised me. Hidden seams along the sides of the black stripes opened, silvery, vaporous tendrils emerging from them. The seams expanded, the section sliding back to reveal the contents contained inside. I withdrew and my eyes widened at what was revealed.

A cockpit.

A cockpit, big enough to accommodate one pilot and one passenger, was in Infernus' head. I just stared at the pilot seat and bit my bottom lip nervously, wondering in uncertainty what I should do. Should I get in? And if I could find a way to reactivate Infernus, how I am going to move it? It was badly damaged and I wouldn't be surprised if it couldn't walk at all due to the condition it was in.

If, by a miraculous stroke of luck, I do manage to get Infernus moving, where could I go? Would I just wander? All of this distracted me from noticing something up with my Core Flame. The tempo of its pulses had quickened, as if prompted by an electrical current and the glow it gave out with each beat had intensified, becoming nearer to a deep orangey-red. As I was stuck at a dead end with about what I should do, I had my eyes drift down to my drill pendant, stunned as how the once rhythmic pulsing had changed to frantic and intermittent, as if trying to alert me of something. My free hand attempted to enclose around the drill, but it immediately retreated at the blistering heat singed my palm. It was as if a rapacious fire had swelled up inside and slowly, as I stared at, understood what it meant.

I needed to get the cockpit.

Taking a shuddering breath, I slowly removed my hand from my wounded side and stared at the cockpit with wide, fearful but determined eyes and exhaled shakily again and proceeded to climb in, trying my very best not to cry out as the throbbing ache in my side protested at me moving, precariously balancing on the edge of becoming a searing pain. Since there was nothing obstructing the flow of the blood gushing from my injured side, it flowed freely, profusely, trickling down the remaining inches of my side and down my leg in glistening, scarlet rivulets. I did my best to ignore it and managed to clamber into the cockpit.

As I seated myself in the pilot's seat, I realised with a spark of surprise that Infernus' cockpit was practically identical to Lagann's. There were two dark grey controllers in front of my dawdling hands and directly beneath two dark grey pedals which I presumed controlled the feet of the mecha. Between the controllers was a lifeless circular panel encircled by a grey rim. At the centre of the panel was a small keyhole, blinking rapidly. I examined the glowing insertion and felt like I was Simon in episode one when he lacked the confidence to activate Lagann, but Kamina inspired him with the following quote: "Listen Simon, don't believe in yourself. Believe in me! Believe in the Kamina who believes in you!"

Remembering those words allowed me to summon up a small spark of intuition and grab the controllers.

My slender fingers gently squeezed around them, the circular panel in front of me slowly lighting up and illuminating my face in a faint orange glow as a spiralling galaxy and glittering stars materialised into existence, the centre of the rotating galaxy being the glowing keyhole. I was captivated by the galaxy's enthralling glow, the beautiful magnificence of it keeping me silent with awe. Most of the stars it was made of were concentrated around the spinning heart, all a-glow in their heavenly finery. It felt as if I was journeying through the vast cosmos and was being presented with a bird's eye view of one of the Universe's greatest phenomena. Aster-shaped pinpricks of light flashed and winked at me and I almost became hypnotised by their brilliant lustre.

Snapping out of my daze with a mild shake of my head, I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. "Now's not the time to ogling over a galaxy, Charlotte…" I scolded myself, "No matter how pretty it is…"

I opened my eyes and sighed again deeply, my mind now set on reactivating Infernus.

One hand loosened its grip on a controller and ascended to my Core Flame, fingers trembling as I felt the waves of heat radiating off it from the rapacious inferno contained inside. I slowly enclosed my hand around it, my lips moving a little to endure the pain as the blistering heat from inside it. The drill seemed to protest at being handled and more of the searing heat was concentrated against my palm. I gritted my teeth, wanting to wrench my hand away but I knew I couldn't. I took off my Core Flame, seeing its vibrant orange glow and understood that my drill's purpose was identical to that of Simon's: to activate the mecha. I moved my fingers to the hilt of the drill bit, unable to tolerate the intense heat any longer. I discovered when my digits curled around it, it was pleasantly cooler. With a shaking hand, I placed the drill into the similarly sized hole at the centre of the circular panel. All that remained was the twist. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm my jangled nerves before reminding myself of Kamina's words. My eyes opened and with a small nod to acknowledge those words, I gave the drill a firm twist.

Right after the twist, the gauge blazed with energy, overflowing from orange to white. The canopy overhead slammed shut, making me jump in my seat before the mecha's entire frame shuddered and trembled uncontrollably at the rampant flow of power coursing through its circuits. Infernus awakened from its idle repose and its dark eyes glowed to life, radiating out a brilliant yellow. Gradually, the shuddering subsided and the darkness that conquered the canopy overhead disappeared. Light overtook the entire dome over my head to provide me with the familiar sight of the crater Infernus crash-landed in. Crash-landing seemed to be the most legit out of my bizarre theories how I ended up as I did.

"Alright, Infernus… let's try to get up…" I murmured, not expecting a response from a machine. But to my utmost surprise, Infernus _did_ respond!

Its entire frame creaked in protest as it tried to get up with a laboured and excruciating effort. It managed to get halfway when its arms creaked, crumpling beneath the Gunmen as if they were fragile twigs. It collapsed to the ground with a dull thud; a soft hiss escaping me when the fall aggravated my wounded side. I joggled the controllers in an encouraging manner, and Infernus seemed to answer by trying again, determined not to give up.

It managed to get up this time, lifting itself up into a kneeling position. I lifted my gaze, Infernus' eyes following. We both stared up at the gently inclining slope that led up to the top of the crater. I thrusted the controllers forward, eyeing the ridge determinedly as if I was staring up at Mount Everest and was ready to conquer it. Infernus moved forwards and began climbing.

The climb took than I would have liked but as Infernus tried to straighten up into an upright position, there was a soft hiss as sparks showered from its left leg and the mecha's face contorted in pain. Infernus hunkered down, pain still evident on its facial features. Before I was about to question out loud what was wrong, the panel above the gauge blinked red and displayed an outline of Infernus. A cursor drifted onto the screen and pinpointed its left leg. The zoom magnified on that area and the leg blinked red, indicating the mecha's leg was damaged enough so it couldn't stand up on it.

"And the inevitable happens… how the hell how are we going to move at this rate?" I wondered aloud.

The moment the last word left my mouth, I had a light bulb moment. It was in episode seven, when Kamina and Simon confronted Dai-Gunzan. Dai-Gunzan had unleashed a barrage of firepower upon the duo and Gurren Lagann was bombarded with the full force of it. Gurren Lagann's left leg, like Infernus', gets damaged and Kamina is forced to use the mecha's sunglasses as a crutch. I knew I had based Infernus off Gurren Lagann's design and _that_ meant Infernus would have the sunglasses as well!

Infernus plucked the sunglasses from its chest and penetrated the earth with one end. And slowly, it proceeded to straighten up into an upright position. Its joints threatened to give way again, but the sunglasses prevented Infernus collapsing again. Infernus reached its full, towering height and the sunglasses effortlessly supported the weight piled on top of it. I was presented with a much better perspective than before when I was on the ground, but still, it looked the same.

"Okay, let's try a step forwards," I said and with that, Infernus managed to take a step forward, the motion involving it taking its sunglasses out of the ground and striking it again to maintain an upright position at all times.

Confident that Infernus would manage to walk with its new crutch, I gripped the controllers tighter and suddenly spotted a breach in the wall of rock that surrounded the plateau. Infernus, with me in control, walked little by little towards the breach I had spotted. Passing through it and finally escaping from the isolation of the plateau I had awakened in, the view presented to me had me marvelling in awe. An endless plain of desert stretched before me, stretching far and wide in every direction possible. The desert was barren, save for a few rocks. The same night sky overhead still enthralled me and I could see the moon in full ghostly beauty now.

A shiver of foreboding suddenly assaulted my spine and I pressed myself back in my seat, sighing shakily at feeling the moon was like an unblinking eye, keeping me in its sight forever. Tightening my grip on the controllers, I looked skyward, easily identifying the constellation overhead as Ursa Major and the presence of Polaris. I remembered such things when I used to go stargazing with Dad. People of the past and even the present still used stargazing to help them navigate and they usually point out Polaris and refer to it as their "guiding beacon" because it always indicates accurately and truly the direction of north. So, I decided to follow the traditional way of navigating and manoeuvred Infernus in the direction of north and with a restrained sigh, began to move, hoping desperately I was able to find something… if not, someone.

Time sluggishly ebbed by and Infernus and I continued our shamble across the desert. The hope of finding anything out here seemed out of the question, but it flared like a tiny flame inside me. As we journeyed, my exhausted body demanded for rest, but I refused to listen to my body's pleas, though the temptation to succumb to the black oblivion was nearly impossible to resist.

After what seemed like a year of wandering the barren desert, something in the far distance caught my attention.

I perked up at the sight of what appeared to be another wall of prehistoric stone drawing out forever in either direction. In the middle, there was an open fissure, revealing a winding path big enough for Gunmen to walk down. At the top, there were two stacks of rock that resembled outposts. But the thing that made my heart give a small leap of joy was making out a small archway that looked like to be an entrance to something.

I knew exactly what it led to. "Littner… that's Littner!" I exclaimed in relief. Hope swelled up inside me and acted like a refreshing elixir, flooding my tired limbs with the much needed energy that they needed to continue.

My hands shoved the controllers forwards and Infernus hobbled towards it at a surprisingly fast pace. Although I was confident on finding someone now, it was becoming obvious that I wasn't going to last much longer in the condition I was in. My pounding in my head had worsened and my vision was beginning to blur and Infernus' energy had diminished quicker than I thought. But, I was driven on by hope, pure hope.

_Stay awake, Charlotte… you just need to stay awake… Just hold on for a little longer…_


End file.
